Can you believe 2021 is almost over? You know what that means, most Filipinos are preparing for the year-end shopping frenzy.
If you’re ready to supercharge your brand’s growth by capitalizing on the year-end shopping season, better make sure your online store is ready. More specifically, your store is on the number one ecommerce platform in the Philippines: Shopee.
Shopee is now the country’s leading e-commerce platform, with about 54.6 million users every month.
How to be a Shopee seller, you ask? Setting up shop is easy; you can even do all of it through the app. If you prefer to use a web browser, we’ve provided instructions for that, too. Here’s how to get started.
Setting up your shop using the mobile app
1. Create a Shopee account
- Sign up to Shopee using your mobile number or your Google, Facebook, or Apple account
2. Verify your mobile number—very important step, don’t skip!
- Don’t skip this step! If you’re mobile number isn’t verified, products may be hidden from buyers
- Click on your account name, go to “My Account,” add your mobile number, and wait for the verification code
- Enter the code and click “Confirm”
3. List your products
- Go to the “Me” tab on the lower right corner of your screen and tap the “Start Selling” button under the “My Wallet” tab
- Before adding anything, check that they’re not on the list of items you’re not supposed to sell on the platform
- Click “+ Add Products” to start listing items for sale. Provide the details (such as product name, a photo, a short description, product category, size, etc.) and click either “Save” or “Publish”
#NinjaTip: Note that after you add a product, you get access to the expanded settings options available to sellers. For now, you can choose to just save your product information then publish it later when you’ve set up your shop profile
4. Set up your shop profile
Access “Seller Assistant” and go to “Shop Profile.”
- Name your shop—Make sure it follows Shopee’s naming policy; keep in mind that you can only change this once every 30 days
- Add a short description—what you sell, where you’ll be shipping from, when you’re usually online, etc.
- Add your logo—this helps communicate what your brand is all about and makes your shop look more legit
- Add a cover photo to grab potential customers’ attention
- Upload up to five photos and videos of your brand and your products
#NinjaTip: Pick a name that’s both memorable and descriptive of what you’re selling. Can’t think of anything? Try this Store Name Generator for inspiration. For more tips on how to create a strong brand from the ground up, check out our beginner’s guide to branding.
5. Add your shipping details
- Go to “My Shipping” and select your preferred shipping partners
- You can customize this per product
- Click on “Pickup Address” and choose “Add a new address”
- At the bottom of the screen, you can choose to set this new address as your default address, pickup address, and/or default return address
6. Ship out your first order
- Go to “My Sales” and click “To Ship.” Take note of the Shopee Order ID
- Pack your items properly; double check to see if you have the correct items in there
- Click “Arrange Pickup” to schedule a pickup date with your chosen last-mile delivery partner
- Go to “View Pickup Details” after booking for pickup and click on “Print Waybill”
- The Air Waybill (AWB) contains all the relevant information about the order, including Shopee Order ID, information on the buyer and the seller, a QR code, and the parcel’s contents
- Print this out on A6 sticker paper and attach to your parcel securely
- Sit back, relax, and wait for the courier service to pick up the order
Check out these handy tips on how to package your parcel properly.
Setting up your shop using a desktop
Setting up a Shopee seller profile on your desktop is not too different from using the mobile app. Follow these simple steps on your desktop to become a Shopee seller in no time.
1. Create a Shopee account
2. Verify your mobile number!
3. Choose your account type and click “Sign Up”
Take note:
- Marketplace is open to all sellers
- Shopee Mall is for official brands and authorized distributors
4. Set up your shop profile
Log in to the Shopee Seller Center and click on “Shop Settings” to set up your shop’s profile
Add your shop’s name, description, logo, cover photo, and up to five other photos and videos to strengthen your brand identity.
5. Set up your pickup address
- Go to “My Addresses,” and click on “+ Add a new address”
- Enter your address and contact details and tick the box that says “Set As Pickup Address”
6. List your products
- Tap “My Products” and choose “+ Add a New Product”
- Add the product name, category, attributes, description, and a bunch of good quality photos
- Add shipping details such as weight, parcel size, shipping fee, and courier service providers
7. Ship out your first order
- Go to “My Sales” and tap “To Ship.” This shows you the orders you’ll need to ship out
- Click on “Arrange Pickup,” schedule a pickup date, and print the Air Waybill (AWB) on A6 sticker paper
- Pack your parcel properly (double check that you’re sending the correct items!), attach the AWB, and wait for the logistics provider to pick up your package
Also get helpful tips on:
How to Start Selling on Lazada Philippines: A Step-by-step Guide
5 Tips to Start Selling on TikTok Shop
Tips and tricks to step up your Shopee game
Congratulations! You’ve successfully shipped out your first order! But it doesn’t stop there; to really make the most of Shopee, follow these tips and tricks for online sellers:
- Make sure product descriptions are accurate and detailed enough
- Use high-quality photos and videos
- Keep your pricing and products competitive — look around your competitors’ stores and keep your prices within range of theirs. To check how in-demand your products are, use these four simple tricks we’ve prepared for online sellers like you.
- Know your audience — according to research by Shopee, buyers in the Philippines fall into four major categories: the sulit shopper, the budol shopper, the suki buyer, and the shop-and-go consumer. Figure out who your buyers are and craft promotions around this insight.
- Engage with your customers — answer queries promptly and send shipping updates. You could even inform previous buyers if you have any new products that you think they might be interested in.
#NinjaTip: Did you know that a 5% increase in customer retention could boost your earnings by 25-95%? Here’s how to build stronger relationships with your customers to keep them coming back.
- Widen your reach — consider setting up shop on Lazada. We have a step-by-step guide for that, too! And if you’re planning to use social media to level up your marketing, we’ve got you covered with our Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing in the Philippines.
We don’t know about you, but whenever we see boys and girls selling lanterns on the street, we think, “They’ll probably sell more lanterns if they list them on Shopee.”
Go make the most of the upcoming year-end shopping season by becoming a seller on Shopee. Set up your online store now and give buyers a very merry customer experience.
Featured image by Who_I_am via Getty Images
